F43 - Language Services and Products

SIGNIFICANCE AND USE
4.1 This practice is intended to apply to all translation projects regardless of the translation service provider selected (see Section 7). This practice does not apply to spoken or signed interpreting services. For interpreting, please consult Practice F2089, Practice for Language Interpreting.  
4.2 Every translation project consists of three phases: pre-production, production, and post-production (see Section 6). Needs and requirements vary from project to project, hence not all roles listed in the swim lane diagram provided in Section 6 or all of the processes outlined in Sections 9 and 10 will be required necessarily in every project. Requesters should conduct a Needs Analysis (see Section 5) to determine what type of translation is needed and to select a translation grade.  
4.3 A translation project applying this practice shall develop specifications according to Section 8 in the pre-production phase, follow those specifications during the production phase, and evaluate the translation project according to those specifications in the post-production phase.  
4.4 The process of translation begins with source content in one language and results in the creation of a target text in another language. The aim of the process is to produce a target text (called the translation) that corresponds to the source content, according to specifications agreed upon in advance following the steps provided in Section 8.  
4.5 This practice provides a list of parameters in Section 8 that shall be addressed and documented in writing to obtain a set of specifications used to create and evaluate the translation. Specifications are defined in terms of the purpose of the translation and the needs and expectations of the requester and end user. There can be many correct translations, depending on the specifications defined for a given product and the choices made by the translation service provider.
SCOPE
1.1 This practice addresses only language translation and excludes language interpreting. (See Practice F2089, Practice for Language Interpreting.)  
1.2 This practice identifies factors relevant to each phase of a translation project (pre-production, production, and post-production). It is intended for use by all stakeholders who may have varying levels of knowledge in the field of translation.  
1.3 This practice is designed to provide a framework for agreement on specifications for translation projects that will meet the needs and expectations of the end user.  
1.4 This practice addresses the processes involved in professional translation services and does not provide specific translation quality metrics.  
1.5 This practice covers various types of translation, including conventional translation and translation in localization and transcreation (see Section 3).  
1.6 This international standard was developed in accordance with internationally recognized principles on standardization established in the Decision on Principles for the Development of International Standards, Guides and Recommendations issued by the World Trade Organization Technical Barriers to Trade (TBT) Committee.

SIGNIFICANCE AND USE
4.1 This practice is intended to apply to all translation projects regardless of the translation service provider selected (see Section 7). This practice does not apply to spoken or signed interpreting services. For interpreting, please consult Practice F2089, Practice for Language Interpreting.  
4.2 Every translation project consists of three phases: pre-production, production, and post-production (see Section 6). Needs and requirements vary from project to project, hence not all roles listed in the swim lane diagram provided in Section 6 or all of the processes outlined in Sections 9 and 10 will be required necessarily in every project. Requesters should conduct a Needs Analysis (see Section 5) to determine what type of translation is needed and to select a translation grade.  
4.3 A translation project applying this practice shall develop specifications according to Section 8 in the pre-production phase, follow those specifications during the production phase, and evaluate the translation project according to those specifications in the post-production phase.  
4.4 The process of translation begins with source content in one language and results in the creation of a target text in another language. The aim of the process is to produce a target text (called the translation) that corresponds to the source content, according to specifications agreed upon in advance following the steps provided in Section 8.  
4.5 This practice provides a list of parameters in Section 8 that shall be addressed and documented in writing to obtain a set of specifications used to create and evaluate the translation. Specifications are defined in terms of the purpose of the translation and the needs and expectations of the requester and end user. There can be many correct translations, depending on the specifications defined for a given product and the choices made by the translation service provider.
SCOPE
1.1 This practice addresses only language translation and excludes language interpreting. (See Practice F2089, Practice for Language Interpreting.)  
1.2 This practice identifies factors relevant to each phase of a translation project (pre-production, production, and post-production). It is intended for use by all stakeholders who may have varying levels of knowledge in the field of translation.  
1.3 This practice is designed to provide a framework for agreement on specifications for translation projects that will meet the needs and expectations of the end user.  
1.4 This practice addresses the processes involved in professional translation services and does not provide specific translation quality metrics.  
1.5 This practice covers various types of translation, including conventional translation and translation in localization and transcreation (see Section 3).  
1.6 This international standard was developed in accordance with internationally recognized principles on standardization established in the Decision on Principles for the Development of International Standards, Guides and Recommendations issued by the World Trade Organization Technical Barriers to Trade (TBT) Committee.

SIGNIFICANCE AND USE
4.1 Intended Use:  
4.1.1 This guide is intended to assist in the design or evaluation of screening and interpreting tests, or both.  
4.1.2 This guide also satisfies the need for testing interpreting performance identified in other relevant ASTM standards (see Practice F2889 and Practice F2089).  
4.2 Compliance with the Guide:  
4.2.1 Compliance requires the user to identify which sections of this guide apply to their specific use and circumstances. The decision to not adhere to any sections should be fully explained.
SCOPE
1.1 Purpose:  
1.1.1 This guide describes factors to be considered for the development and use of language interpreting performance tests, referencing the Interagency Language Roundtable (ILR) scale. It is intended to help people commission, develop, or select assessment tools for the evaluation of interpreting skills.  
1.1.2 The purpose of any test developed following this guide is to rate a candidate's interpreting skills according to the Interagency Language Roundtable Skill Level Descriptions for Interpreting Performance (ILR SLDs for Interpreting). Any pass/fail rating assigned should reference the specific ILR level at which the candidate has tested.  
1.1.3 The objectives for all tests should be clearly defined and convincing evidence presented to justify any claims, inferences, and decisions.  
1.1.4 This guide focuses on two types of assessment; one is for screening candidates, and the other is for evaluating actual interpreting skills. It also outlines the appropriate characteristics and uses of each.  
1.1.5 When evaluating actual interpreting skills, it should be noted that according to ILR, it is at the Professional Performance Level 3 that all necessary skills align to enable a reasonably accurate, reliable, and trustworthy interpretation.  
1.2 Limitations:  
1.2.1 This guide is not intended to address test development for use in the following areas:
1.2.1.1 Translation,
1.2.1.2 Audio Translation,
1.2.1.3 Transcription/Translation,
1.2.1.4 Diagnostic Assessments,
1.2.1.5 Less-commonly tested languages, and
1.2.1.6 Other job-specific language performance tests.  
1.2.2 This guide also does not purport to prescribe definitive descriptions of every possible approach for testing interpreting performance, nor does it prescribe the exact parameters that must be used in a valid and reliable test of interpreting skills. It does, however, suggest approaches to help test designers and users determine whether the use of a test is appropriate and justifiable.  
1.2.3 This guide is not intended to address ancillary processes and procedures governing how organizations provide interpreting services.  
1.3 This international standard was developed in accordance with internationally recognized principles on standardization established in the Decision on Principles for the Development of International Standards, Guides and Recommendations issued by the World Trade Organization Technical Barriers to Trade (TBT) Committee.

SIGNIFICANCE AND USE
4.1 Intended Use:  
4.1.1 This practice is intended to serve the language test developer, test provider, and language test user communities in their ability to provide useful, timely, reliable, and reproducible tests of language proficiency for general communication purposes. This practice expands the testing capacity of the United States by leveraging commercial and existing government test development and delivery capability through standardization of these processes. This practice is intended to be used by contract officers, program managers, supervisors, managers, and commanders. It is also intended to be used by test developers, those who select and evaluate tests, and users of test scores.  
4.1.2 Furthermore, the intent of this practice is to encourage the use of expert teams to assist contracting officers, contracting officer representatives, test developers, and contractors/vendors in meeting the testing needs being addressed. Users of this practice are encouraged to focus on meeting testing needs and not to interpret this practice as limiting innovation in any way.  
4.2 Compliance with the Practice:  
4.2.1 Compliance with this practice requires adherence to all sections of this practice. Exceptions are allowed only in specific cases in which a particular section of this practice does not apply to the type or intended use of a test. Exceptions shall be documented and justified to the satisfaction of the customer. Nothing in this practice should be construed as contradicting existing federal and state laws nor allowing for deviation from established U.S. Government policies on testing.
SCOPE
1.1 Purpose—This practice describes best practices for the development and use of language tests in the modalities of speaking, listening, reading, and writing for assessing ability in accordance with the Interagency Language Roundtable (ILR)2 scale. This practice focuses on testing language proficiency in use of language for communicative purposes.  
1.2 Limitations—This practice is not intended to address testing and test development in the following specialized areas: Translation, Interpretation, Audio Translation, Transcription, other job-specific language performance tests, or Diagnostic Assessment.  
1.2.1 Tests developed under this practice should not be used to address any of the above excluded purposes (for example, diagnostics).  
1.3 This international standard was developed in accordance with internationally recognized principles on standardization established in the Decision on Principles for the Development of International Standards, Guides and Recommendations issued by the World Trade Organization Technical Barriers to Trade (TBT) Committee.

SCOPE
1.1 This practice establishes minimum management infrastructure, operations, and development requirements for an LSC to meet the diverse and evolving needs of its clients as expressed in the job specifications for assignments, as outlined in a Job Needs Analysis. The principles presented in this practice are of value to all LSCs and in particular to those companies starting up in the industry and working to achieve the description of an LSC eligible for certification in Section 5 of this practice.  
1.2 This standard does not purport to address all of the safety concerns, if any, associated with its use. It is the responsibility of the user of this standard to establish appropriate safety, health, and environmental practices and determine the applicability of regulatory limitations prior to use.  
1.3 This international standard was developed in accordance with internationally recognized principles on standardization established in the Decision on Principles for the Development of International Standards, Guides and Recommendations issued by the World Trade Organization Technical Barriers to Trade (TBT) Committee.

SIGNIFICANCE AND USE
4.1 This practice is intended for all stakeholders of interpreting services.  
4.2 Interpreting Supply Chain:  
4.2.1 Customer—The person(s) or entity that pays for the interpreting services.  
4.2.2 Requester—The person(s) or entity that places the order for interpreting services.  
4.2.3 End User or Consumer—The person(s) in need of interpreting services.  
4.2.4 Interpreting Services Provider—The person(s), interpreter(s), organization, or language services company (LSC) making arrangements for the provision of interpreting services including, but not limited to, selecting, contracting, scheduling, invoicing, and paying the interpreter.  
4.2.5 Interpreter—Person who performs the interpreting service.
Note 1: The above categories of stakeholders are not mutually exclusive.  
4.3 Characteristics of Interpreting—Interpreting is a professional activity resulting in a first and final oral/signed rendition of the message from the source language into the target language. It does not serve the same purpose as, nor should it be compared to, an edited, written translation or a scripted voice-over. Interpreting is performed in real time or immediately after a speaker pauses to allow for interpreting.
SCOPE
1.1 This practice defines the minimum professional standard for quality services in language interpreting. It is intended for use by stakeholders with varying levels of expertise in the field of interpreting.  
1.2 This standard does not purport to address all of the safety concerns, if any, associated with its use. It is the responsibility of the user of this standard to establish appropriate safety and health practices and determine the applicability of regulatory limitations prior to use.

SIGNIFICANCE AND USE
4.1 Audience—This guide is intended to serve requesters and end users of translation, providers of such services, either internal or external, and training institutions, so as to facilitate clear communication, thereby avoiding potential losses in time, money, and quality during the life of a translation project.  
4.2 Translation Supply Chain—The end user of a translation (the person who actually reads the target-language text) is often not the person who requests the translation. The requester, who can be an individual or hold nearly any position within an organization, may not know the target language or even the source language and thus may not be able to evaluate the translation personally. Likewise, the translation service provider contacted by the requester may not be the person who actually translates the document. Thus, it is important to have a standard guide for relationships between the requester and the translation service provider(s) so that certain questions are answered before starting a translation project—questions for which answers are critical to the successful delivery of a quality translation through the translation supply chain to the end user. That chain often includes the following parties: end user, requester, project manager, translator, editor, and any other additional personnel needed to complete the project (please see definitions in Section 3). In some cases, the same person may perform more than one function. For example, the end user and the requester can be the same person, and the project manager and the translator can be the same individual.  
4.3 Importance of Specifications—Quality translation cannot be defined on the premise that there is only one correct, high-quality translation for any given source text. Certainly, there can be many different incorrect translations, but there can also be a variety of correct ones, depending on the specifications defined for a given project and the choices made by the individual translator....
SCOPE
1.1 This guide identifies factors relevant to the quality of language translation services for each phase of a translation project. The guide is intended for use by all stakeholders, with varying levels of knowledge in the field of translation.  
1.2 This guide is designed to provide a framework for agreement on specifications for translation projects. Within this framework, the participants in a service agreement can define the processes necessary to arrive at a product of desired quality to serve the needs and expectations of the end user.  
1.3 This guide does not provide specific metrics.  
1.4 This guide also includes a list of specification parameters that shall be considered before work begins.  
1.5 Translation can be viewed in a number of contexts.  
1.5.1 One is that of globalization, internationalization, localization, and translation (GILT), which takes products or services created for one audience and makes them suitable to various foreign language audiences, whether in the home country or around the globe. In the case of products or services that are accompanied by or contain textual material, this process must be sensitive to cultural aspects of the geographic region and language of specific markets, sometimes referred to as locales.  
1.5.2 Translation can also be viewed in the context of various government practices, including communicating an identical, uniform message to many locales at the same time, that is, not altering the message even slightly for individual locales, and, in information gathering, retaining the original flavor of the source text, purposely avoiding localization.  
1.5.3 Finally, translation can be viewed in a more general context. Although much translation is done in a GILT context or for government purposes (for example, diplomacy, law enforcement, health and human services, security, and so forth), there are many other types of translation performed for the understanding ...

SIGNIFICANCE AND USE
3.1 This guide is intended to serve institutions for the development of instructional programs as well as to serve potential clients and students in the selection of a training program to meet their needs.  
3.2 It may not be possible for a specific program to meet all of the components of the standard for every language. If the standard cannot be met for a given language, the institution will clearly inform the client and the student of that fact.  
3.3 The following components are addressed:  
3.3.1 Needs Analysis—Assists clients and training institutions in determining language needs, setting reasonable objectives and expectations, and selecting appropriate training programs.  
3.3.2 Describing Levels of Language Proficiency—Assists students, clients, instructors, and institutions in assessing needs, setting realistic goals, and charting progress toward those goals.  
3.3.3 Explicitness and Reasonableness of Language Outcome Expectations—Assists in determining an individual's need for training to increase proficiency. Determines the estimated number of classroom hours required to meet an identified proficiency objective. Assists in determining the suitability of an institution to provide appropriate instruction.
3.3.3.1 These guidelines are not intended to be absolute. Individual cases may be influenced by a number of factors, including: individual language learning ability, prior language experience, native language, attendance, motivation, homework, exposure and reinforcement outside the classroom, and individual learning style.  
3.3.4 Training Program Criteria—Assists students, clients, and institutions in identifying and establishing a use-oriented training program.  
3.3.5 Establishing Criteria for Language Instructors—Assists in recruiting, selecting, and retaining instructors.  
3.3.6 Supervision of Instructors—Emphasizes the importance of the supervisory role that may be performed by one or more individuals. Assists institutions in establish...
SCOPE
1.1 This guide covers identification of the components of a quality language instructional program and establishes criteria for each component. This guide is meant to provide criteria for the minimum standard for a program designed to attain specified language proficiency goals.

SIGNIFICANCE AND USE
Intended Use:
This practice is intended to serve the language test developer, test provider, and language test user communities in their ability to provide useful, timely, reliable, and reproducible tests of language proficiency for general communication purposes. This practice expands the testing capacity of the United States by leveraging commercial and existing government test development and delivery capability through standardization of these processes. This practice is intended to be used by contract officers, program managers, supervisors, managers, and commanders. It is also intended to be used by test developers, those who select and evaluate tests, and users of test scores.
Furthermore, the intent of this practice is to encourage the use of expert teams to assist contracting officers, contracting officer representatives, test developers, and contractors/vendors in meeting the testing needs being addressed. Users of this practice are encouraged to focus on meeting testing needs and not to interpret this practice as limiting innovation in any way.
Compliance with the Practice:
Compliance with this practice requires adherence to all sections of this practice. Exceptions are allowed only in specific cases in which a particular section of this practice does not apply to the type or intended use of a test. Exceptions shall be documented and justified to the satisfaction of the customer. Nothing in this practice should be construed as contradicting existing federal and state laws nor allowing for deviation from established U.S. Government policies on testing.
SCOPE
1.1 Purpose—This practice describes best practices for the development and use of language tests in the modalities of speaking, listening, reading, and writing for assessing ability according to the Interagency Language Roundtable (ILR) scale. This practice focuses on testing language proficiency in use of language for communicative purposes.
1.2 Limitations—This practice is not intended to address testing and test development in the following specialized areas: Translation, Interpretation, Audio Translation, Transcription, other job-specific language performance tests, or Diagnostic Assessment.
1.2.1 Tests developed under this practice should not be used to address any of the above excluded purposes (for example, diagnostics).

SCOPE
1.1 This guide identifies the components of quality language interpretation services and establishes criteria for each component. These criteria define the minimum standard of quality services in the language interpretation industry with reference to distinctive characteristics of specific settings. The needs analysis identifies a procedure for making an informed choice of interpretation services. In the language industry, translation refers to the translation of a written text, whereas interpretation refers to the translation of spoken or signed communication.

SCOPE
1.1 This guide identifies factors relevant to the quality of language translation services for each phase of a translation project. The guide is intended for use by all stakeholders, with varying levels of knowledge in the field of translation.
1.2 This guide is designed to provide a framework for agreement on specifications for translation projects. Within this framework, the participants in a service agreement can define the processes necessary to arrive at a product of desired quality to serve the needs and expectations of the end user.
1.3 This guide does not provide specific metrics.
1.4 This guide also includes a list of specification parameters that shall be considered before work begins.
1.5 Translation can be viewed in a number of contexts.
1.5.1 One is that of globalization, internationalization, localization, and translation (GILT), which takes products or services created for one audience and makes them suitable to various foreign language audiences, whether in the home country or around the globe. In the case of products or services that are accompanied by or contain textual material, this process must be sensitive to cultural aspects of the geographic region and language of specific markets, sometimes referred to as locales.
1.5.2 Translation can also be viewed in the context of various government practices, including communicating an identical, uniform message to many locales at the same time, that is, not altering the message even slightly for individual locales, and, in information gathering, retaining the original flavor of the source text, purposely avoiding localization.
1.5.3 Finally, translation can be viewed in a more general context. Although much translation is done in a GILT context or for government purposes (for example, diplomacy, law enforcement, health and human services, security, and so forth), there are many other types of translation performed for the understanding of materials (for example, journals, letters, news broadcasts, and communications) that have been written in another language. Some types of translation may not include localization.
1.6 This guide offers an organized collection of information and does not recommend a specific course of action. This guide cannot replace education or experience and should be used in conjunction with professional judgment. Not all aspects of this guide can be applicable in all circumstances. This ASTM guide is not intended to represent or replace the standard of care by which the adequacy of a given professional service shall be judged, nor should this guide be applied without consideration of a projects unique aspects. The word "Standard" in the title of this guide means only that the guide has been approved through the ASTM International consensus process.
1.7 This guide does not address interpreting (also called interpretation), which involves spoken language as opposed to written language (see Guide F 2089).

SCOPE
1.1 This guide covers identification of the components of a quality language instructional program and establishes criteria for each component. This guide is meant to provide criteria for the minimum standard for a program designed to attain specified language proficiency goals.

SCOPE
1.1 This guide identifies the components of quality language interpretation services and establishes criteria for each component. These criteria define the minimum standard of quality services in the language interpretation industry with reference to distinctive characteristics of specific settings. The needs analysis identifies a procedure for making an informed choice of interpretation services. In the language industry, translation refers to the translation of a written text, whereas interpretation refers to the translation of spoken or signed communication.

SCOPE
1.1 This guide covers identification of the components of a quality language instructional program and establishes criteria for each component. This guide is meant to provide criteria for the minimum standard for a program designed to attain specified language proficiency goals.